Friday 29th January
After a rather rock’n’rolly night (that’s describing the sea
state!) we arrive in Cape Town in the early morning. We look out of our
porthole and see Table Mountain passing by as we dock at the V & A
Waterfront in the middle of the city. A clear, beautiful, sunny day (sorry just
seen the weather forecast and the damage that Storm Gertude has inflicted on
Scotland). It is windy though – the wind here is known locally as the Cape Town
Doctor. After immigration procedures, we
get a taxi to Europcar – we have rented a car for a couple of days to look
around the area. We opt to visit Cape Peninsula. We make our way quite easily
out of the city, marvelling at the peaks, the coastline, and the impressive
waves rolling in. Before long, we drive along Chapman’s Peak Drive – very
panoramic and magnificent views of the ocean and sandy bays which we enjoy from
the various viewpoints.
Chapmans Peak Viewpoint
We spot a whale from one of these viewpoints - what a bonus!
We pass through Simonstown, South Africa’s naval base, and then on into the
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Windswept and dramatic scenery. After a snack
lunch we go up to the lighthouse by means of a funicular railway. We look at
where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are said to meet. Well, we’ve had a fair
dose of the North and South Atlantic now, and soon we’ll be discovering the
delights of the Indian Ocean. A good place to muse on our voyage! The beaches
around these parts are wonderful and beside one we spot some baboons.
Cape Baboons – sitting on rock in foreground The Cape of Good Hope
We make our way back to Cape Town via Ou Kaapse Weg (Old
Cape Road) another very scenic drive. We pass close to Constantia and
Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens with the
amazing mountain range above but we don’t stop. Make our way back to Boudicca
after a wonderful first day in Cape Town.
Saturday 30th January
Another beautiful, clear but windy day in this beautiful
city. Up early, breakfast in cabin and then go ashore and set off in our rental
car for a circular tour of the Wineland Region – for the scenery, not for the
wine! Beyond the airport we pass a shanty town – our first sighting of one and
sobering. After a while we turn left into Hottentot Holland pass, lovely acacia
trees in bloom, apple orchards too. The impressive mountain scenery starts to
emerge. We come down into River Without End Valley and turn left to enter
Franschoek Pass – there has been a big heatwave in S.A. The ground is very dry
and there is evidence of fires. The Franschoek Pass is dramatic and the view as
we look down to the town of Franschoek is very panoramic. The town has a French
influence dating back to its settlement by Huguenot refugees in the 17centure.
There are many wine estates in and around, but we settle for a coffee and a
snack in the pretty main street and enjoy watching the world go by. We stop at
Tokara Wine Estate to take photos of the view and the garden there but remain
abstemious!
Tokara Wine Estate
Drive back to Cape Town and Boudicca via Stellenbosch.
After a short rest in our cabin, we set out again to go up
Table Mountain – we have full price tickets which we shall use tomorrow, but
after 1800 one can go up half price to see the sunset so we decide to do that
as an extra, especially as we still have the car. Big queues and by the time we
go up in the funicular the mist is coming in thickly but the cable car station
is still clear. It looks incredibly dramatic as we hope is conveyed in our
photos – the mist coming down like a
huge waterfall.
Cloud pouring down over Table Mountain
At the top it is very cold, extremely windy. We are glad of
our anoraks. Occasionally the mist clears and we get glimpses of the view. Then
John takes a purler, blown of his feet and falling backwards down three steps,
partly through missing a step due to totally misted specs. He gets quite a
shock, a minor cut or two and bruises
but luckily nothing broken [not even the camera]– what a relief and thank
goodness not a repeat of Jan’s broken leg last year. He is immediately hauled
to his feet by two very helpful South Africans who could easily have been
Springbok rugby team players. Very nice guys who check all is well before
disappearing into the fog . Really we should stay away from steps altogether!
We cut short our stay on the top and get the cable car back down stirred and
shaken
Sunday 31st January
When we open the porthole in the morning we have a different
view! Have we moved quays? No, it turns out the Captain turned the ship around
during the night to assist departure later today. We are relieved that we are
still in the same location as we have to get the car back to Europcar by 0900.
After doing that, we get on the Hop On Hop Off bus and go back up to Table
Mountain, this morning in brilliant weather.
Table mountain. View
over Lion Rock from Table Mountain
We spend over a couple of hours up there soaking up the
incredible views, having a coffee and going for a short stroll across the
plateau looking at the various flora and fauna – the latter in the shape of a
lizard. By now the temperature is hot. Down at the bottom we get back on the
bus which takes us back to the city via the beach area. We get back to Boudicca in good time for our departure at 1700. We have had an unforgettable time here
and plenty to reflect on as we sail off towards Pot Elizabeth. As we go along
the coast, we spot a whale rising out of the water – not far from Boudicca so
it was very clear. Further out we see signs of a pod. What an end to our visit!
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